Gaian Eorzea
by Charlett
Summary: The Crystal of Life, Hydaelyn, fought fiercely against Zodiark, who wished to return everything to chaos. The battle was so fierce that the world was fractured and split apart into thirteen different parallel worlds, each one a fragment of the prime world they descended from. Each world was similar in many ways, but there were some ways in which they all differed immensely...
1. Chapter 1

Okay you guys hear me out, I can explain. ...I really like Final Fantasy 14 and I really like FF9 and I really like sticking things I like together, and uh... Both of them incorporate Mother Crystals from which stems all life so it's *basically* the same thing?

Yeah I got nothing.

So uhm here is a crossover just because. It's not all about Beatrix, this is just introducing her into Eorzea. There's gunna be other chapters that do this with the other characters, hopefully in some sort of timeline.

Fair warning, FF14 gets pretty dark in weird ways. I'm going to be using a lot of murder and gore and it might not be pretty. For instance, there's gunna be eye mutilation in here, because, well, Beatrix. Har. Also be wary: apparently FF14 writers freaking love A Song of Fire and Ice and everything is "DOTH THOU WISHEST TO FACE ME" and "PRAY RETURN TO THE WAKING SANDS". I tried to mimic some of it so like if that's not your cup of tea then *shrug?*

Hope you guys like it!

* * *

The harsh, unforgiving highlands and mountains of Gyr Abania were where the people of Ala Mhigo made their home. They had very few natural resources of their own, thus did the Highlanders of Ala Mhigo become militaristic and independent, taking what they needed from their neighbors. The strength of their monks was such that they once handily fought a two sided war, one to the west for resources, and one to the east to protect their home. The Garlean Empire was one that very few could face and come away unscathed, but the Ala Mhigans did it with both grace and power.

However, it was not to last. There came to be a civil war that broke out within the city itself, and the while the royal family's monks could fight a two pronged war, they could not handle one that came from three sides. Whether or not it was necessary to dethrone the power of Ala Mhigo, it certainly wasn't necessary *then*, as their army was pulled back to defend the throne, the enemy Garleans swept straight through during their time of greatest weakness. The Read family barely escaped from the land before the siege, bringing along their young daughter Beatrix. The refugees didn't look back, even when they heard that their beloved home was taken.

The Read family came upon the desert city of Ul'dah, a sultanate where capitalism reigned. Many refugees rushed to the desert land, as the other lands were unwilling to assist the war torn people. At least Ul'dah was prepared to do so as long as the refugees gave something to the sultanate. Unfortunately, with the huge influx of refugees from Ala Mhigo, there were no jobs available *to* help provide for Ul'dah. There was only one thing anyone could do: descend into the gladiatorial pits. Any gladiators who survived would become rich and famous, and so, people rushed into the grinder to die. Even Beatrix's father attempted the grueling battles with his punch daggers, but a wound early in his bouts hamstrung him so he could no longer fight...

...Without any way to gain anymore money, and with their finances dwindling, Beatrix knew of only one course. At the tender age of fifteen, much younger than any person should ever step into the gladiatorial ring, the woman picked up a sword and shield, stabbed the eye of a wildebeest straight from its socket, and held it aloft for all to see. The crowd's cheering was deafening, and young Read immediately became a fan favorite.

For seven years, she fought in the pits, gaining popularity and scars. She seemed to possess a serenity that was unheard of among people with her popularity. People walked into the ring for glory and money; it quickly became apparent that Read only did it to provide for her father and mother, to protect them from starving to death.

It also became apparent that she has reached the top of the ranks. There was no one that could stand up to her perfect defenses, neither man nor beast. There was not one, save for Raubahn Aldynn, a fellow gladiator from Ala Mhigo. There was no doubt that the next bout would be between the greatest gladiators that Ul'dah had seen.

The battle was one that would go down in Ul'dah's history, with the winnings giving either of them enough money to buy out the very coliseum they were fighting in, such was the money bet on the upcoming match. Beatrix entered the ring that day with trepidation. She drew her sword and the two gladiators saluted each other, and for the first time, she spoke while in the pits. "Lord Aldynn, just promise me I will be able to fight after this."

Raubahn's hands were just as red as hers; the lives that they claimed rising to this height showed just how deadly the both of them were. However, while Beatrix was still a child playing at fighting, Raubahn had been a warrior since she was still in swaddling clothes. The two of them both knew who the winner would be, and now all that was left was to put on a good show. He nodded softly and prepared his stance, "I will make it quick."

He was correct; the battle started and Beatrix barely had time to register that he had moved when he was before her, slamming the shield from her hand. She clasped her broken hand to her chest and held her sword out to parry his next attack, but when she tried to draw his sword away, his strength was such that he slid her own sword back into her own eye. The audience watched as Beatrix was reduced to a fifteen year old once again, and similar to the way she removed a wildebeest's eye, she split her own wide open until the fluids and blood spilled all over her sword and floor. The child grit her teeth to keep from biting her own tongue, dropped to the floor, and clutched at her bloodied, destroyed eye amid screams, cheers and jeers. After the entire affair there were people who actually claimed that their ears bled from the shouts from the onlookers.

Raubahn sheathed his sword, still unbloodied, and turned away from the sobbing girl. There was nothing that needed to be said.

* * *

Beatrix was certain that she would never fight again without her eye and with her broken hand, but with the money she acquired, her parents were able to hire a skilled conjurer from Gridania who watched over her hand until it was in (near) perfect order. At least it was her offhand... When Raubahn came to see her family and beg forgiveness for the battle (apparently he had misjudged the direction Beatrix was trying to parry, as he was used to Garlean tactics, and that was what caused the horrendous injury), Beatrix shut him down immediately. They were both gladiators, and it simply came with the job.

"Well, if you ever need anything, I will be happy to do what I can to repay you the damages." As if an eye were akin to a broken fence. Beatrix shook her head and sent him on his way. She didn't need his pity; she was still a powerful warrior in her own right.

And yet, despite all of that, Raubahn had still won. He went on to buy out the entire coliseum, showing that even the lowest of commoners could find their way into the Ul'dahn Syndicate. He became the symbol of greatness among the refugees, while Beatrix was certain she would wallow in his shadow. She could win battles, but no one would bet on a sure thing. She could not get the same amount of money, not unless she began to throw matches, which would risk more dangerous wounds... She had no idea where she would go from there...

The answer came when, one day, a call came from the royal palace, and Beatrix, horrified, prepared for whatever doom they would bestow upon her. Perhaps she forgot to pay her taxes, or perhaps they decided that she had more money than she should have... She needed to throw herself at the mercy of the sultan and hope that he would believe any story she gave him.

As such, she arrived as soon as possible to show that she wished to follow every bit of red tape they'd present her. As she stood in the Hall of Rule, she scratched at her eye patch absently, still not used to having it on her face. She immediately snapped to attention when Lord Papashan, the Lalafell leader of the royal Sultansworn, approached her. Beatrix noted the two Sultansworn on either of his side, and she stood straight up again as the tiny man, barely the height of her belt, crossed his arms and looked to inspect her. "Beatrix Read, you know of Lord Raubahn Aldynn's desire to create a fighting force to repel the Garlean invasion of Eorzea, correct?"

Ah yes, the Immortal Flames. It was hard *not* to know about it, given that it was on everyone's lips, not to mention... "I do, Flame General Aldynn even extended an invitation for me to lead the Ala Mhigan Brigade. I declined, as I'm sure you know."

"Indeed," Papashan replied, placing his chin in his hand in thought, "I invited you here today to ask the reason for your decision. Do you honestly think you are unable to protect our people? You certainly seem to be quite a capable fighter..."

She supposed it wasn't strange for outsiders to believe that she had lost all will to fight, even though it couldn't be further from the truth. She tried to find a way to say her feelings honestly but delicately. "I don't wish to live in the flame general's shadow. I understand that the Immortal Flames are a wonderful way to fight back at the people that harmed Ala Mhigo..." It wasn't "her home", as she was barely a babe when her family escaped. ...Technically, Ul'dah was the only home she ever knew, but out of respect for her parents, she wished to do what she could for the highland country. "I was afraid that people would think that my placement in his army was one of pity. I wish to follow my own course." She blushed softly and looked down at the still thinking Lalafell, "If... that makes sense..."

"I see, I see," Papashan said softly. He nodded and placed a hand on his hip before looking up at the highlander, "Very well, if you are still willing to fight for the defense of Ul'dah, perhaps I could ask you instead to join the Sultansworn and protect our beloved Sultana."

Beatrix was silent for a long minute, so long that Papashan was afraid she did not hear him. "Miss Read...? Did you hear me? I said..."

Beatrix shook her head, rubbing at her ear with a grunt of apology. "I'm sorry, Lord Papashan, I heard, I just... Perhaps I am a little overwhelmed and anxious, but I could have sworn I heard you say that you wanted *me*, a lowborn, common refugee, to join the paladins. You would ask me to join the Sultansworn...!"

"We choose our members by merit, not by birth, Lady Read," Papashan said, stroking his tiny goatee with his free hand, "Here in the Sultansworn, you are no longer commoner nor noble, merchant nor refugee. You are simply sister to those who love their country."

Beatrix looked up at the midlander Hyur and hellsguard Roegadyn who flanked Papashan, and they reached out to her in welcome, "Come join us, sister! You'll do so much better fighting for a greater cause than just for blood or sport!"

"And the families of the Sultansworn are well recompensed for losing a child! Your father and mother need not want for anything again!" Beatrix opened her mouth, and suddenly she realized the real problem. She would become sworn to the sultanate. She could not live with her family, and she would not be able to travel for anything but war. Perhaps one day the sultan may travel as a dignitary, but from then on, she would be trapped... perhaps...

...But this was safety, her home was not Ala Mhigo, and while she wanted her parents to be able to return to their place of birth someday, she wanted to protect what small place they had *now*, not try to regain everything that they lost... not yet, at least...

...And now, if there was a civil war *this* time, she would be *there* to stop it. She would make sure that history would not repeat itself.

The highlander nodded, her course clear, and she snapped her heels together and saluted the Lalafell, mentally preparing herself for anything that might come next in her life. "Beatrix Read, Sultansworn, reporting for duty, Lord Papashan!"

* * *

Fun Fax Beatrix becoming a gladiator first and then a paladin is similar to FF14, wherein you spend the first 30 levels being a scrub class and then you get upgraded to an actual job like a boss. Ironically "gladiator" was an actual job in some of the Tactics games but now it's a scrub class. RIP. Some other characters will go "Class to Job", but people like Steiner and Garnet won't go through those hoops, and I'm thinking Zidane might end up going backwards, given his story.

Oh PS, Beatrix doesn't really fit a Hyur (Human) name, since they're more Celtic and Germanic names while "Beatrix" is Latin in origin. I guess the closest thing would be, ironically, Garlean names, which come mostly from Latin, although it's usually fake/butchered. I guess given that, Beatrixis half Garlean, probably on her mother's side. Perhaps she left the empire, tired of their evil ways, and ended up living in Ala Mhigo? But perhaps she still has some love of her old country; she did *grow up* there after all, and that's why they ended up naming their daughter Beatrix. Food for thought I guess.

Also the name "Read" is pronounced more like "Red", for the color of *blood*. Or her hair. Whichever you prefer.

So uhm. Hope you enjoyed it. Shoot me a message telling me what you liked/hated about it. I always need some feedback.


	2. Chapter 2

Amarant was literally the entire reason I wanted to try this out. His name, Flaming Salamander, was a perfect name for Roegadyns, plus they're the big beefy murder dudes and it just fit overall. Thus, I did his story as soon as possible, because he's the biggest part of this whole thing.

There was just one eensy problem; there are no real fire salamanders, at least, not ones *called* salamanders. Thus, where would Flaming Salamander get his name? ...Well, perhaps they went with the more amphibious version, the ones that hang out in rivers and wallow in mud? ...Because those guys don't really have the name "salamander" either... Unless we went with...

* * *

The volcanoes of Abalathia's Spine were home to the hellsguard Roegadyn, those fiery giant men who believed that the lava of the volcanoes led directly to the underworld. The religious men all served as guardians, keeping the spirits of the dead from returning to the world of the living. They were all huge compared to the demure Hyur and even the lanky Elezen, so while they were very devout, they were also extremely powerful warriors. The young, red-haired Fyrnmhol was born of a warrior mother and a chirurgeon father, and he was immediately taken out with his mother to hunt for their livelihood. At the age of five he got to carry the corpses of her kills home, and by the age of seven he was already killing deer with one well aimed arrow. Fyrnmhol was one of the greatest warriors of his tribe, even as a child.

When he was ten, he and his little brother were sent out to see if they could survive on their own, as was the custom among their people. They lived in the mountains, which meant that their livelihood didn't come from agriculture, but from the very land itself. It was necessary to see who were the best among their tribe, and it was soon apparent that Fyrnmhol's seven year old brother, Traggbhar, was nothing like him. Traggbhar was built like his namesake, a bear, but he was more suited to foraging and herding, so while Fyrnmhol was wrestling a grizzly to death with his bare hands, his brother ended up hiding in a cave eating mushrooms and trying not to freeze to death.

After an entire week, the two brothers were picked up by the clan and happily brought back into the fold. Both had handily survived, but Fyrnmhol was able to do so with his strength. He could easily survive on the move, much moreso than his younger brother. Thus, there was only one thing to do.

With a solemn march on their traditional drums, Fyrnmhol was given a large fur coat, a tent, and a sleeping mat, and he was sent off, away from his tribe. His people could not possibly feed the five children that were born this last year, and Traggbhar could not survive on his own. "Be good. Fyrnmhol. my son," his father said, grasping the preteen's shoulder and shaking it softly. "I only have one request: survive."

Fyrnmhol nodded, but there was nothing he said in response. His tribe needed him to be strong, for only the strongest could survive alone. To express longing, sadness, and tears was weakness, and he stared, completely expressionless, at his family before turning around and walking away from the only home he ever knew. From then on, wherever he went, he would do it as the strongest in the land, for he couldn't let his family down...

For years and years, Fyrnmhol traveled across Eorzea, gathering all of the power and strength he could. He ended up becoming a mercenary, doing any job that people would be willing to give him. Most of them involved murdering big animals or protecting merchant convoys; petty and simple work for him at that point. The biggest problem, actually, was that most of the Hyurs and Elezen couldn't even pronounce his name. He ran into other hellsguard Roegadyns who had been sent from their homes like he had been, and each of them said the same thing. It was best to just offer their given name in the common tongue, so that the people they worked under could at least give them a name that wasn't consistently butchered. Thus was born...

"Flaming Eft...?" A particularly obnoxious Hyur asked, skeptical. The Roegadyn stared at the Hyur as they sat in the Coffer and Coffin, a bar deep in the center of the Thanalan Desert. "That's what you're going with?"

Flaming Eft glowered at the midlander, wondering just how easily he could snap the boy's neck in twain. "The eft is a strong mountain amphibian that can survive the harsh cold climates. Their strength is in their resilience, in that they can survive in sub zero temperatures all year round. There is great honor in being named after..."

"They're fat, blubbery bottom feeders who roll in the mud of the rivers of Coerthas," the Hyur insisted, pointing his mug at the completely expressionless face before him. "It just makes you sound like-"

Flaming Eft was silent and quick as he reached forward, grabbed the boy's head, and slammed his face into the wood of the table. The guard immediately stood up to break up the fight, but Eft was intelligent enough to pull back and settle back into his chair, his arms crossed. "Fat and blubbery, was it?"

"My *nose*!" the boy screamed, sitting back up and clutching at the blood flowing down his face. He looked up, wide eyed, at the Roegadyn before him. "You crazy shite, what the hell!?"

Flaming Eft stood up as the midlander continued to stare in bewilderment at the hellsguard. "I don't work with children, anyway. Find yourself another assassin." He then turned and tromped from the bar. The stink eye that the guards gave him as he left proved that he probably wouldn't be welcome back anytime soon. Not that Eft really cared that much.

The desert of Thanalan was something that Flaming Eft wasn't sure he would ever get used to. His skin didn't burn easily, as the snow reflected sunlight so much that it was almost like living in the desert itself, but it was just so *hot*; he wondered how the Lalafell and the refugees could handle it.

Speaking of the refugees, there were some tents outside of the city of Ul'dah proper. The people had nothing going for them; passing by the tiny desert "village" might have been a downer if Eft cared at all about the state of lesser weaklings. The city of Ul'dah had the right idea. Everyone should just enter the gladiatorial ring and let the chaff get blown away. Would save a lot of money, energy and food overall...

...Ugh, he really didn't want to head to the tiny farms near the oasis, but he was running low on funds and he really didn't want to cook any shrews... Might as well just chase the shrews off of the land and get the same lunch the other workers receive...

As he approached the shack where the farm tools were kept, he nodded his head at the Lalafell sitting on a wooden box. "What do you need today? I'll do it," Flaming Eft rumbled.

The Lalafell's pointed ear twitched at Eft's voice, and he looked up at the pumpkins in the field. "Don't need you today."

"You serious?" Eft growled, "There's *nothing* that needs to be chased off?"

"The sultana's little sister loves pumpkin soup, so the Sultansworn tend to visit and keep vermin out," came the reply as he chewed on his wheat stalk, "So we're good." Flaming Eft hissed, looking out over the ripening gourds. Of *course* the Sultansworn would come in and steal all the jobs from hard working mercenaries. He didn't want to admit that his anger was more because of his protesting stomach, but it was hard to hide. "...Although..." The landowner looked up at the Roegadyn, his hand cupped above his eyes to shield them from the sun, and Eft looked down expectantly at the tiny man, "I hear that they might need help over at the railway station. Something about those damned spriggans."

Ugh, hopefully Flaming Eft wouldn't have to deal with *those* things. The way the ore eating rabbits chattered sounded like demented giggling, and while very few things actually creeped him out, that was one of them. "Thanks" Eft muttered sarcastically, tromping off across the badlands towards the station.

...Thankfully, the station wasn't that far off from the farms themselves, as it was hard to go several yalms without hitting some sort of rock just perfect for mining, and that was just what the railway was for. The station itself wasn't actually for commercial use: it was mostly just to get large equipment across the desert to the actual mines, but it ran through enough tunnels that the little soot covered spriggans tended to become nuisances. When Flaming Eft arrived on the scene, he was greeted with glares from the other hellsguards and highlander refugee workers. The man who supervised everything seemed to be yet another Lalafell (which made sense, as they really ruled everything around Ul'dah; if it was any different it was usually due to a fluke). He was dressed fairly normally, with only cotton pants and a shirt. The Lalafell rubbed at his mustache and looked up at the Roegadyn before raising a hand in greeting. "Ho there. We're a little busy here, friend. We can't just have everyone walking up like they own the place."

 _Of course not, it wouldn't do to have people try to rise higher than their *place*,_ Eft thought bitterly. "I heard you might need some help. Something about spriggans?" _Please don't let it be about spriggans._

"Spriggans?" the Lalafell said, cocking an eyebrow in bewilderment. He shook his head, "Listen here, friend..." ("I'm not your *friend*," Flaming Eft hissed to himself) "...I'm actually... wait. You're here for coin then?" The dunesfolk eyed the hellsguard up and down, "And you look like you can handle yourself out in the desert. I brought my young miss out here, but it seems she has wandered off." He let out a soft sigh, rubbing at his forehead in exasperation, "she has a tendency to do so, despite the fact that she's supposed to be overlooking the area *here*."

"Where could she have gone?" Eft asked, arms crossed, "She could be anywhere by now."

"Not necessarily, I sent my second-in-command off to Ul'dah proper, and the fact that she's not back yet proves she's still looking. You came from the farms and didn't spy a young woman, thus she's probably down south, near the Sultan Tree." The head Lalafell shrugged lightly and looked back up at the hellsguard. "Look, just go check out the area. I'll pay, even if you don't find her."

...The girl must be pretty important to pay people *just* for looking. Or perhaps he was just being too nice; he could have sent his actual workers off for free and then had Eft work the tunnels for a pittance. "Right. Who's asking for her, by the by?" It wouldn't do to have her thinking that he was kidnapping her.

"Oh, yes. Tell her that Papashan wishes her to return; she hasn't finished overseeing the area." Flaming Eft nodded, a snort escaping her nostrils before he turned and loped off across the desert sand. Ugh, children were such a pain... no wonder his clan made sure to get everyone working as quickly as possible...

* * *

The Sultana Tree was huge and sprung up just outside of the City of Ul'dah proper; no one was sure just how it survived in the harsh environment, but the legend said that as long as the sultanate survived, so would the tree. When Flaming Eft arrived at the trunk of the tree, he put his hands on his hips and shoved on the thing with his boot. The wood seemed to be weak, despite the thick trunk; with the death of the current sultan and his beloved wife, it seemed like the tree, much like the sultanate, was on its last legs...

"Now now, Eeko...!" Flaming Eft instinctively dropped low, although he soon realized that the sound was made by a young woman and didn't seem to be one preparing for combat, "Quit fussing, we're here to pray."

Flaming Eft moved slowly towards the sound of the voice, his hand on the trunk of the tree as he navigated around its gigantic, thick roots. There, a little ways away, a young Lalafell maid carried a tiny child in her arms. The baby was fussing something fierce, and for such a small thing, she seemed to be good at causing the maid trouble. "No, Eeko!" the dunesfolk girl whined, "How can we give our ancestors the proper respect with you squirming all the time?"

Eeko... the same name as Eeko Ul Eko, sister of Nanamo Ul Namo, the current child sultana of Ul'dah. That made far too much sense; no wonder Papashan was willing to pay through the nose for her return. ...Although why did he trust Flaming Eft to actually bring her back? He *would*, but there were so many others who wouldn't mind trying to get a larger ransom out of her.

He stood up, and the maid looked up at the sound. She stood from her settled position and clutched Eeko close to her. "Who's there!?"

"A friend," Flaming Eft grumbled, stepping forward without a hint of malice (but perhaps annoyance), "Papashan called me to collect you."

The girl (Perhaps a teenager? It was always hard to tell with Lalafells, they never seemed to grow past a monster's bite-sized snack. How the things managed to survive out in this desert was a mystery) looked a little relieved and perhaps also guilty. "Oh, I suppose we took a little too long, didn't we Eeko?" She bounced her sister in her arms, but Eft was not watching the sultana. He whirled to look off into the distance. He could have sworn he felt a presence, and not one that was benevolent. It was something that made the hair on the back of his neck raise up, and he remembered his father said something like this was the feeling of the dead attempting to walk the planet once again. "Mister? Is everything okay?"

"Hush!" Flaming Eft hissed, holding a hand out and causing the maid to flinch. The sudden tension in the air made Eeko fuss and whine, and Eft dropped into a battle stance when the gargoyle struck.

It was a creature born of the void, that horrifying place in the cleft between worlds, where there was no life nor death. Whatever creatures made their home in the void wished only to make the entire universe like their home of nothingness, but they could not bridge the membrane that kept Hydaelyn apart from the nothingness... They could not, unless they had *help*. Flaming Eft barely managed to think to himself that someone (perhaps some*thing*?) had called this creature, and there could only be one reason for it; this was an assassination attempt. He stood between the gargoyle and the sultana, but the way the voidsent screeched and homed in directly on the Roegadyn, Eft wondered that perhaps the assassination wasn't an attempt on the *sultana's* life.

Flaming Eft stood his ground, and he reached up to grab at the gargoyle's taloned claws, keeping it from ripping him apart. The young Lalafel stood as the Roegadyn let out a roar to give himself strength, and he lifted a boot to connect with the creature's chest. He pushed his boot and pulled the gargoyle's arms until he tore the voidsent's arm clean off. The gargoyle let out a surprised, enraged scream, and Eft grabbed at its head before it could make a retreat. The Lalafell behind him let out a surprised, scared squeal as Flaming Eft slammed the voidsent into the ground, crushing the creature's head against a rock once, twice, three times. The thing struggled less and less as its strength failed him, and Eft could *feel* rather than see the void seep away from it as it lost what strength it had to physically manifest itself in the material plane.

Flaming Eft said very little as he stood from the floor. "Pathetic," he spat. Sending *one* voidsent to take someone like *him* out... He was honestly offended. He almost moved to search for the fool who sent it, but as the adrenaline dropped, he realized that the baby Lalafell was crying, probably afraid of the sounds of battle just previously. Flaming Eft whirled around, his eyes wild, and the maiden instinctively drew Eeko away, putting herself between her sister and the man with the crazed eyes.

Silence passed for a moment as Flaming Eft came down from his manic high, and finally he blinked, his memory returning. "...Papashan..." he rumbled, making the girl relax a bit.

"H-he sent you...?" she asked, remembering what Eft had mentioned before, "I-I suppose you protected me. You have my thanks."

Flaming Eft didn't bother answering that. He turned around and began walking back to the station. He lifted a finger to beckon her, but didn't bother looking at her face again.

The Lalafell maid jogged along with Eeko bouncing in her arms before she came to a walk (which was more like a light jog to keep up with his stride) alongside Flaming Eft. The Roegadyn could feel her eyes on him, but he didn't say anything about it, not until she let out a small chuckle. "Your hair. It reminds me of something..."

Flaming Eft snorted, hoping she got the hint that he could care less what he reminded her of. He just wanted his money, and he wanted to get out of here as soon as possible so he could get some lunch and get back to normal. Thankfully, the girl was quiet just up until they arrived back at the station, and the two found that some other Hyur woman had joined Papashan since Flaming Eft left. She looked up when she heard their approach, and both she and the Lalafell maid's countenances brightened considerably. "My lady!"

"Beatrix!" Both of the women approached each other, and the one named Beatrix reached out to take Eeko into her arms, if only to give her lady's arms a rest, "I'm okay, so you don't have to worry."

"You left without me!" Beatrix chastised, and Flaming Eft immediately ignored the rest of the conversation to saunter over to Papashan, who, surprised of surprises, was actually fishing around in his belt bags until he pulled up a pouch and filled it with several hundred gil. It wasn't a grand amount, especially since he basically saved the life of their *sultana*, but it didn't take a genius to realize that Papashan was trying to keep the woman's true identity a secret, so the reward was only as much as a merchant's daughter might be (And here Eft was actually considering the Lalafell was *nice*). Oh well, at least it was good change for something as simple as picking up a young noble.

"Thank you for your help. May I have your name? If I need you I'd love to have a way to reach you again," Papashan said, reaching up to let Flaming Eft take it.

"Feh, I don't need your money or your work," The Roegadyn hissed, counting out the sack's contents before sliding it into a pocket of his own. Papashan's eyebrow raised at the fact that he didn't "need" his work, and yet he seemed to want it just a moment ago. "If I want to work under you slave drivers, I'll find *you*."

Papashan shook his head, his arms back to their usual crossed position, "If that's what you prefer, I..."

"My lady, please, where are you going!?" Beatrix's voice raised, and it caused Flaming Eft to look up at the Lalafel maid, of whom the Roegadyn was very nearly certain was Nanamo Ul Namo, the Sultana, and the young woman curtsied before Eft with a smile.

"Thank you again for everything. I remembered what your hair reminded me of!" Flaming Eft opened his mouth, but he was interrupted when the sultana pulled a sprig of beautifully red, but tiny and delicate flowers out from one of her own bags. "This is a sprig of amarant flowers. Isn't the red very much like your own hair?"

Flaming Eft was, for once, at a loss for words. Beatrix watched as Nanamo raised her arm, offering the sprig of amarant to the Roegadyn, and it was a trepidatious hand that the man took the offered flowers and placed them in his breast pocket. "They *are* very red," he managed to say, unsure of what was even going on.

"They're my favorite flowers too, but they don't grow out here, so I have to get them dried when they're sent out this way. They remind me of a desert heat. They remind me of *my* desert," Nanamo said with a giggle.

"My lady, we *really* must be going," Beatrix said, and the sultana turned to her guard with an acknowledging nod, "Lady Eeko has had far too much excitement for one day, and she needs a nap." Like, yesterday, at this point.

"Understood, Beatrix." Nanamo very nearly turned to follow her off directly, but the sultana turned around to smile and wave at her new friend, "I hope to see you again, Amarant!"

Flaming Eft's lips pursed, but he didn't scowl. "Don't get eaten by any gargoyles," he demanded. Nanamo laughed as she followed the Sultansworn off to Ul'dah's gates. It was then that the Roegadyn began his trek to the Black Brush Station for find one of those lunch carts that set up for the workers. Along the way, his hand ended up straying to touch one of the petals on his new sprig...

Flaming Amarant... perhaps *that* was a name that would get him more jobs...

* * *

And thus, Flaming Amarant was born! Now I'm by no means an FF14 botanist (because I spend too much time writing I guess), but a quick cursory glance through a lot of the stuff reveals that amaranth isn't really native to Eorzea and botonists don't gather it. Since a lot of items have names that are slightly changed (Potatoes are Popotoes, for instance), I figure the amaranth flower could actually, literally be called "Amarant" and it wouldn't just be that they ran out of room for naming conventions. Voila!

Also say hello to Eiko! Eiko's a hard name to turn into a Dunesfolk Lalafell name, as their names go "AAB AB", with each A and B usually being a consonant and vowel together. However, sometimes you could have just the Vowel (although I assume that's in the B portion. Let's just play fast and loose with this, shall we?) Thus, Eeko, which is pronounced "Ehko"!

(Fun Fact: I was about to name her Memeko Ul Meko. There's already an actual Lalafell named "Memedesu", and it's *perfectly lore appropriate*, so I figured Memeko would be a funny joke. However I guess this story is far too serious business for me, so we're going with something less funny. Too bad?)


	3. Chapter 3

I thought that this was going to be pretty long, but nope, just a little longer than Amarant's, and it's about two people! I really cannot separate these two from each other in my mind; they really are great foils that bring out the best in each other. The entire world could change, and they can change too, but they will always remain close.

This chapter went through so many revisions. Ishgard is still in many peoples' minds, as the content is still happening right now in the story, and it's really easy to mess up with it, I find. I wanted to do as much as I could to have that "feeling" of Ishgard, even though we won't be visiting this land proper for a long time. Also shout out to a few characters who might make appearances later in like 10 years if we ever get back to Ishgard? Hope you guys like it!

* * *

The Brume of Ishgard was a barren, dismal place where the commoners who were seen as less than dung dwelt. The city itself was filled with Elezen who were locked in an eternal struggle with the dragons of Coerthas, and those who weren't nobility were cannon fodder for the war's incessant meat grinder. Those who could not fight in the Dragonsong War became builders who rebuilt the destroyed ramparts that the dragons lobbed fireballs at endlessly, and the workers did so ceaselessly until they were either injured or died of exhaustion.

Women didn't have it much better. As they didn't usually have the muscle strength to keep working on building as much as the men, women were brought into noble and merchant houses as servants before being seduced with promises of marriage and joining the family, only to be cast back into the smoke-filled recesses of the slums the moment they were found to be with child. So many bastard children ran through the city streets that no one ever thought they would have a shortage of warriors for the Dragonsong War. The lords of Ishgard continued to trample on the common folk of the city, for there was no one who would give them a voice.

There were always a few people who tried to escape their lives in the Brume, but there were only two ways to do so: one was to join the war and kill a dragon. It was such a commendable feat that anyone who completed the task would be knighted on the spot. Adelbert Steiner's grandfather was one such man, and while Adelbert's family was still small (indeed, he was the last surviving male, the others having all died in the war), he nevertheless continued his fanatical devotion to the church, like all good temple knights were said to have. No one needed to mention the fact that if they didn't have that fanatical devotion, they were likely to be branded as heretics and sentenced to death.

The other way to escape the Brume was to join the seminary and become a priest of Halone, the warrior goddess known colloquially as "The Fury". This was what young Garnet decided to do; when she was barely a teenager, her father's corpse was found in Western Coerthas, his head and part of his arm torn clean off by a wyvern, and her mother, stricken with grief, spent the last of their money to buy a vial of deadly nightshade and down it in one gulp. Garnet was left alone in a world where she would be taken, abused and cast from the cliffs of the city... unless she took up the cloth and gave up her life to the Fury's grace.

She was a child mottled with dirt and grime when she first entered the seminary, but when she cleaned up with her first bath and donned the cloth of a priest-in-training, there was no denying that Garnet was indeed a beautiful gem that was recently tumbled and polished to an iridescent shine. Over the next couple of years, the temple knights became very much smitten by the young woman, and even a few of the seminarians couldn't keep from watching her expectantly whenever she entered the room.

Garnet's mind was just as sharp as her body was beautiful, and she soon became one of the top students in the school. There was no doubt among her peers that when she graduated, she would become a priestess of the highest order. However, if she did so, she would probably give most of her time to worshiping Lady Halone, and what a *waste* that would be. With such a beautiful specimen, she should really be married to a branch family member in one of the noble houses; it would be a waste to squander the Fury's gift to the men of Ishgard.

Outside of the seminary, the temple knights made no secret of their hopes to charm the common girl into their beds, and when they were alone in their dorms and dressing rooms, their words became crude and irreverent towards the young woman. Only the elder knights did not join in the raucous speech, but most paid the younger knights no heed. It was only Adelbert Steiner who ordered them to keep their minds on their work, but it only earned him derisive laughter. Some even joked if he was secretly hoping to have her to himself, which made Adelbert get into plenty of arguments and even a few fist fights with the others. The older temple knight soon got a reputation for being hot headed and unruly as a result.

Garnet, perhaps luckily, didn't know about the filthy words that were directed at her in secret, but she *did* notice that some of the temple knights suddenly became very interested in her goings on. While the knights' helmets covered their faces, she could tell that some people of the same height and size could be found in nearly every room she tried to hide within. The only real place she could find total solitude was in her cell.

She began to get so worried about what her stalker wanted with her that she went to speak with her friend, a different temple knight named Eugenmont of the minor house of Kilond. The two entered the seminary and knighthood, respectively, around the same time, so the two became fast friends, and Garnet felt she could tell him anything. "Have you noticed the man in the back, Eugene?" she asked, using her nickname for him as they sat in one of the sanctuary's pews and pretended to pray before the statue of the Fury. "He's one of the three people that's been following me around..."

Eugenmont turned lightly to glance at the stalker out of the corner of his eye before turning back to Garnet, "I think so. It's a little difficult to tell, but those broad shoulders... I think he's Ser Adelbert Steiner. Usually we can't go a week without him getting into some argument or fight with the others. You said there were two more?"

Garnet nodded. "Usually the other two hang out together when they follow me, but whenever Ser Steiner's around, he glares them out of the room." Or what she assumed was glaring. It was hard to tell with those helmets. Her voice got low when she tried to speak again, "I-it feels a lot like they're doing it because of *me*." Like she was some prize, or a piece of meat, to be fought over and won. Besides, that Adelbert seemed pretty large; he *did* seem like the type who couldn't control his anger... She definitely didn't want to be caught in the streets alone with him. "I'd report them all, but they're *nobility*."

"I know what you mean," Eugenmont replied, leaning closer to his friend so they could talk without being overheard, "If a commoner tried to speak out against even a minor noble... You'd probably be the one locked up..."

Garnet let out an unhappy chuckle, "You're lucky, Eugene; you're nobility too; you can do anything you want."

"Well, perhaps not *anything*, but if I wanted something, I always ended up getting it," the temple knight said knowingly, his smile widening.

"At this rate, I don't know if I can make my monthly visit to the Brume," Garnet said, looking a little worried, "You know I like to tend to any sicknesses and evangelize during my visits... but I can't go out with those *men* following me around. If I was stuck alone in an alleyway with any of them..." She was beginning to fear for her safety, to be quite honest.

Eugenmont made a shushing sound to calm the young woman, and he reached out to take her hand, "If you desire it, ma'am, I'll escort you there myself."

Garnet murmured a quiet thank you, and he squeezed her hand softly...

* * *

That night, when classes were finished and the sun was beginning to dip down below the parapets of Ishgard, Garnet walked down to the common room, dressed lightly in her robes and hooded cloak, and she met up with Eugenmont, who was also dressed lightly in only padded cloth and studded leather. The temple knight bowed to her and reached out to take her arm and draw her away. "We'd better be quick," he said, ushering her on like a shepherd herding his sheep, "I don't think Ser Adelbert knows you're leaving yet. Maybe we can keep him from following us at all."

Garnet nodded softly, although something seemed *off*. She turned to look behind her, back at Halone's temple, as if that Adelbert Steiner was going to leap out in pursuit. Eugenmont squeezed her arm to remind her to keep moving, and she picked up her pace to walk by his side as they made their way to the Brume.

The poor people in the slums were practically starving, and Garnet gave all of the food she had bought from her small allowance to anyone who needed it before preparing some salves she learned from her physic classes back in the seminary. Eugenmont was quite unwelcome in the Brume, so for the next day she spent there, the temple knight wandered off somewhere, and the young woman was left to tell the children of Halone's divine love. "As it says in volume eleven of _The Seventy-two Articles of Halonic Polity_ , the Fury sees all men and women as born equal in her sight, and her holy judgment is for both commoners and nobles."

Only the children of the Brume seemed innocent enough to believe Garnet's words, given the world their parents had grown up in, and they stared up at her with eyes wide and full of wonder. They hoped that someday equal justice would come to them, for then their fathers would not have to fight in wars and their mothers would not have to forego food for them.

Garnet believed fervently in this doctrine, for it was the same one that was said to her by the elderly Father Choisseau when she was these children's ages. She knew there were bad people who abused their rank and ignored the Fury's words to push their own agenda, but she hoped and prayed that by the time she and her Brume-friends graduated, they could work together to change their home from the inside. They were physicians as well as priests, and together, they would excise the cancer that was killing Ishgard...

While Halone saw all men as equal in her eyes, it would be a long, far off day before the selfsame men themselves saw each other as equal. By the time Eugenmont returned to take her back to the seminary, he was booed at by the women that Garnet was teaching, and despite her attempts to repeat her doctrine of equality, even to those who were born above their station, the only way to to get them to quiet their rage was to leave with the temple knight, who seemed a little jumpy as they climbed the steps towards the upper quarters. "I'm sorry about that, Eugene. They don't know you like I do," she said with a smile in his direction.

Eugenmont smirked and reached out to wrap an arm around the small of her back, and something like warning bells sounded in her mind. She jumped out of his reach, and he cocked an eyebrow. "S-sorry, We're all a little skittish. Let's just get back before those stalkers get to you," he said, turning away and biting his lip.

Garnet shuddered involuntarily at the temple knight's reminder, and she moved back close to him. She didn't quite like it when he placed a hand behind her back and wrapped it around her arm, pulling her close, but she didn't want to be too far away from him, just in case they were attacked. Not one of those men made a move when they were out of the seminary, but they couldn't be too... careful...

"Eugene..." the woman asked, her ears twitching as she felt the hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise. She squirmed out of his grip, but she could feel that he was holding it tight, as if he didn't want to let go. She turned around to face the other way, and she noticed that there were two temple knights making their rounds, approaching them from behind.

...Wait, two? There were two knights who always followed her in tandem, and these... these men were the same ones! Eugenmont followed Garnet's gaze and turned as well, and he held out a hand to protect her. "Stay behind me, Garnet. If these are your stalkers, I'll handle them myself!"

"Oh, come off it, 'Eugene'," one of the knights grumbled, looking completely done with Eugenmont's chivalry, "I'm not in the mood for your theatrics. Matilda didn't pay up, so we're not playing along anymore."

Eugenmont opened his mouth in surprise, "Matilda didn't-!? I gave her the fee for all of this! How dare sh-" He froze when he realized just what he was inditing himself of, and he looked at Garnet out of the corner of his eye. He began to sweat when he saw the look of confusion on her face replace itself with anger in a mere second.

"What's going on here, Eugene? You paid these men to stalk me!?" she demanded, crossing her arms and glaring at him, "What could you have possibly wanted to gain from this!?"

While Eugenmont tried to explain things quickly, the second knight was happy to explain everything about his former employer's plans especially since now he could watch this all blow up in his face, "He was hoping that after he 'fought us off', you would be so smitten he could have charmed you into doing whatever he wanted."

"Are you kidding me!?" Eugenmont nearly screeched, whirling to point an accusing finger at the stool pigeon, "You couldn't even keep your giant mouth shut?"

Garnet blinked, her fear replaced with incredulity as the three fought among themselves. "No money, Eugenmont, no work. Unless you have money on you *right* now, we're not beholden to anything you have to say."

"Not that we didn't want to see the look on your face when Garnet kicks the shite out of you."

Eugemont didn't even miss a beat. He wanted to save face, perhaps even *needed* to, and he immediately dug at his belt for his wallet. "Look, I have ten thousand gil on me right now. If you take it now and I pay you double the original fee later, will you *please* just help me out here?"

"The game's up, Eugene," the first knight said. He didn't even bother mentioning that Garnet was taking very small, very quiet steps backwards, "She's not going to fall for it *now*."

"Well, I'm sure we can improvise. We've got enough muscle, don't we!?" Eugenmont said, whirling around to glare at Garnet, who froze when she realized that they caught her trying to escape. She immediately set to the task of mouthing a silent prayer to Halone to find a way out of this predicament, "Garnet, don't be difficult, now."

"Stay away from me!" Garnet shouted, whirling around and scanning the area for anyone who might be in the area. The few people who were in earshot seemed common by birth, and everyone immediately turned away and walked off in another direction. The two temple knights whom Eugenmont had hired must have been the guards on watch in this area too... She was completely trapped, and she had been so stupid to not realize that she was being manipulated this whole time! She felt Eugenmont grab at her arm again, like he had back when they had left the seminary. The first time, she hadn't thought much of it, but now... _Lady Halone, I beg of you, save me! Bring judgment with your mighty lance!_

"Oh, Garnet, stop struggling. Don't you remember?" the temple knight asked as the other knights approached. He dragged her close so he could whisper into her ear, "I *always* get what I want."

Garnet began to tug on her arm, but all four of them froze when a final set of footprints clanked on the cobblestones, and everyone looked up very slowly at the broad-shouldered temple knight that glowered over all of them. Adelbert Steiner stood before them all, his face dark when he noted how tightly Eugenmont held the woman. He took in a deep breath before reaching out to beseech the younger knight. His glare, however, proved that he was less than happy. "Eugenmont Kilrond, I will tell you just this once. Let, the girl, go. She obviously doesn't want you touching her."

Eugemont blinked at Adelbert as if he wasn't sure what he was hearing. He ended up letting out a chuckle as the other knights stepped forward to flank him. "Are you serious? Is *this* why you were following her? Some sort of misplaced *chivalry*?" He shook Garnet a bit, eyes still on Adelbert, before he smiled again, "If only you had just *said* something to her instead of acting like a stalker!"

That caused the older knight to freeze himself, as if he had just realized that. He finally shook her head and took a step forward, "That doesn't matter! Release Lady Garnet and cease your-"

Garnet took matters in her own hands now that Eugenmont was distracted, and she slammed her knee into the temple knight's kidney. The younger man let out a scream as he doubled over, releasing the woman. His lackeys reached out for her, but she evaded their slow hands and immediately rushed to Adelbert's side. Eugenmont let out a frustrated growl as he drew his longsword. "Screw it! You've insulted me for the last time, you fools!" Garnet hid behind Adelbert as the younger temple knight charged...

...Adelbert, full of rage, didn't even bother with another word. He parried Eugenmont's strike with his gauntlet before grabbing the boy's face with his other hand. Everyone watched in horror as Adelbert pulled a dagger from his belt, and Garnet held her hands over her mouth when she saw the dark tendrils of black emanate from the older man. "Wrong move, you monster..." Adelbert hissed, and he plunged the knife into Eugenmont's chest.

The younger temple knight let out a bloody gasp amid Garnet's scream, and he dropped his sword, but before he could say even a dying word, Adelbert pulled the dagger out of his flesh and stabbed the boy again before growling and stabbing him agai-

"Stop... Stop, Ser Steiner, please!" Garnet shouted, and the temple knight froze. He pulled his dagger out and dropped the corpse, and the other temple knights let out shouts of their own before turning and running off with horrified screams.

Adelbert slowly turned to Garnet, and she retreated a few steps, squealing into her hands and shaking her head. Adelbert looked at his blood-covered dagger, as if he just realized what he had done, and the woman watched as the dark tendrils that once coiled around him began to dissipate. His anger and rage were gone, and so was... whatever that darkness was.

Adelbert was quiet for a long somber moment as he immediately went to clean the blood from his dagger and armor with a skin full of water, and he let Garnet retreat a few ilms. He was quite surprised she didn't escape, so he tried to let out some sort of explanation. "I'm so, so sorry, my lady," he murmured. Garnet's wide eyes flit to the body that was pooling blood on the cobblestones, and she looked back up at Adelbert, who shook the water off of his gauntlet and sheathed his dagger, "I-I didn't want anyone to hurt you, so I wanted to keep those men away from you... I thought I could do it inconspicuously..."

The young priest-in-training might have laughed if she weren't still scared out of her mind. She pulled her hood over her head and shivered again, and for a moment, Adelbert wondered if she would call the guard. He opened his mouth, but Garnet suddenly spoke up, clutching at her brooch with a shake of her head. "Ser Steiner, you really must leave Ishgard! If they found out what you did...!" Whether or not he was also technically nobility, the Kilrond family was a lot more influential than a dead-end family with only one, unmarried male to their name. They would find *some* way to get revenge, and she couldn't have him get hurt when he protected her, especially since he had come after she prayed for safety from Halone.

Adelbert was a little surprised that Garnet had suggested him run, but it didn't really matter. He shook his head and held out his hands, "I can't leave, if I did, they'd blame *you* for this." Ishgard was all about justice, and if they couldn't find the real culprit, they would find someone who *could* be. Not to mention if they arrested her, they would do worse things than what Eugenmont had in mind. He couldn't escape; he wouldn't be able to protect her if he ran.

Garnet, meanwhile, considered what Adelbert had said... "But I asked for Halone to save me, and you came immediately afterward..." As much as she didn't like the way he handled *killing* the man she had once called friend, she also knew that his halonic fury was almost otherworldly... "You must have been sent by her to help me. You can't get in trouble if Halone *sent* you to help me!" He must be innocent, as his... well... this must have been divinely ordained...!

Adelbert stared at her as she began thinking to herself. He wasn't entirely sure whether or not Garnet was joking about the fact that she believed he was ordained by Halone to murder a *noble*. "We can't... that would never hold up in court, and even if we enacted the Halonic Trial by Combat, I doubt I could best a great knight in combat..." He spent most of his time working at the seminary, and while he had fought some young dragons in the western coerthas fields, his swordsmanship was getting rusty.

The woman didn't even miss a beat. "We'll leave Ishgard together then!" Garnet said, beckoning the temple knight. He whirled to look at her, his mouth agape at the audacious suggestion, and the woman raised her hand, "I can invoke the trial by combat as a priest of Halone, and if you're innocent, which you *are*, then Halone will protect us from being caught in Coerthas as well as from any monsters out in the fields. We can prove your innocence together!"

Adelbert wasn't sure she understood what "trial by combat" meant at that point, and besides, "You're not even an actual priest yet, will the Fury even answer your call?"

"She already did! She gave me *you*," Garnet insisted. She stepped forward to take his hand, but she stopped short just a step away from him, and Eugenmont's rough treatment flashed through her mind. She wasn't very comfortable even engaging in touching someone else at that point... "Ser Steiner, please. There's nothing else we can do. Trust me, this is the only way to prove our innocence." Even if it was a proof only they knew about or believed in... They may never be able to return to Ishgard after this, but with the way her people, her mother and father, were treated... perhaps that wouldn't be such a bad thing, at least for a few years...

The temple knight considered it, taking perhaps a moment too long, before he turned back to the young woman and he sighed. "You're right. There's nothing else we can do. Perhaps... perhaps we could try it."

"Very well then, let us be off. We shall explain to the guards at the gate that I am to search for heretics in Camp Dragonhead. They cannot deny the order of a priest *and* a temple knight!" She took her hands and clasped them together, chanting softly to invoke a mantra prayer, asking Halone for justice to come to both of them. Wherever they went, it would be by the Fury's grace that they survived it...

* * *

Garnet was correct, much to Adelbert's surprise. When they both spoke up together, the knights at the gates to the Steps of Faith had very little to say to question their authority, and since they moved first to leave, Eugenmont's lackeys hadn't reached their superiors in time to announce Kilrond's death to the rest of the watch. Adelbert found that their pass through the Steps of Faith out onto the coerthas highlands was quite a stroke of luck, but Garnet was absolutely certain that it was Halone watching over them.

Garnet and Adelbert left so quickly for a journey towards the Twelveswood that they had no time to collect any supples. The ever pious Garnet worried very little about it, so certain of their protection she was. Adelbert, on the other hand, was barely able to contain his fear, both for himself and for his new charge. They moved slower than expected, as Garnet was not used to traveling for long lengths of time, but thankfully Adelbert could focus on foraging during the times she needed to rest.

They reached the lowlands of coerthas by the time night fell, and Adelbert ended up catching a few shrews and setting up a fire for the night. Garnet was the one who set up a bed of moss underneath a tree, although it was Adelbert who had to set up the shelter of twigs and leaves after finishing his "cooking". The priest held the shrew-on-the-stick and thanked the temple knight as she sat on the moss. "Th-thanks, Ser Steiner. I don't know what I'd do if it weren't for you." The temple knight started for a moment, completely unused to anyone saying something like that to him, but she didn't stop. "You must have left people behind... Like me." She might have been an orphan, but she still had friends in the seminary. "I just hope they don't hurt Theo or Leigh... they might think they'd know where we ran off to..."

Adelbert sat down next to the woman, but he said very little afterwards. It seemed he had something on his mind. The priest gulped hard; she was an orphan, so there was very little she would lose if she abandoned her home like this, but Adelbert was still nobility, no matter how minor it was. Perhaps he still had a family he was leaving behind... he would give up his whole life like that, just to protect her...? "I'm sorry," she finally said, looking up at the knight with slightly wet eyes, "You protected me... you gave up your life for me... you may never see your home again."

Adelbert looked back down at the young woman, and he gave her a soft, gentle smile. "Aye, perhaps I did, but I could not stand idly by while people abused their authority. I just hope that Mother and Odinne will not be questioned roughly, like your own friends..." They were nobility, so the inquisitors could do very little aside from minor questioning... "Theo and Leigh, you said? They're seminarians as well; I remember their names. They have Halone's divine protection, so don't you worry."

Garnet picked at her shrew before finally biting into it, letting the knight's words sink into her mind the same way her teeth sunk into the slightly charred meat. Adelbert almost expected her to wince at the taste, or rather, the tastelessness, of his catch, but after her first tentative bite, she shrugged and went at it; he had almost forgotten that such a pure, bright gem, fit for the greatest of royalty, was born in the Brume as a lowly commoner. She must have been used to eating the flesh of whatever she could catch, the way a knight on the front lines of the Dragonsong War would.

Adelbert looked at his own meal and let out a deep breath. "...We have an early day tomorrow, so be sure to get some rest," he said, and Garnet nodded wordlessly in reply.

* * *

Adelbert didn't change much at all, which I kind of think fits him most of all, with him being the most traditional of the group. Not to mention his name is pretty much *perfect* for Elezen, ironically enough (There are even Heavensward guards, the Holy See's personal bodyguards, who share parts of his name, which further solidifies just how perfect a name it is for Ishgard). There's not much to talk about here, but I think you can all guess what sort of power he'll end up obtaining somewhere down the road, if he can learn to control it.

Garnet, on the other hand, was a little trickier. She's a commoner in this, as Brahne's not around to lift her up and have her be a princess. Thus her mother and father are probably Jane and her husband. However, "Sarah" wasn't really an *Ishgard* name. Names like Colette would be more appropriate, and, well, Garn-ette? I figured it would fit the naming scheme a little better, as if her mother was trying to be "cute" and giving her an uncommon but easily understandable name. Plus all the "Polishing and tumbling a filthy common rock into a beautiful gem" terminology fit in and it just seemed like a better move overall. Notice though that she *doesn't* have a last name. If she gets a name for herself somewhere down the way, she might gain one later *winkwink* but for now, it's just Garnet.

(Special thanks to Myshu for all of her assistance with making sure this story came up being less terrible than it could have been. I always love having an editor and friend to bounce ideas off of, so thanks again!)


	4. Chapter 4

This one is another chapter that takes place in Ul'dah and Thanalan. Sorry! I know there are other cool places to look at, but most of the characters' stories come after this important moment in Eorzean history, and I wanted to get it out of the way as soon as possible. Short, but "sweet".

* * *

The Garlean Empire's magitek was incredible, and so much more powerful than anything the Eorzeans could bring to bear. It took the combined might of all of the great city-states of the continent, Gridania, Ul'dah, Limsa Lominsa, and Ishgard, to keep most of the Garlean invading forces confined to the once lush lands of Mor Dhona.

It became so bad that some people began to consider other ways of dealing with the Garlean threat. Louisoix, an archmage of Sharlayan, came forward with his Circle of Knowing in an attempt to create peace in the lands of Eorzea. His hope, overall, was that by befriending the Beast Tribes of the continent, everyone could work together to fight the Garleans and eventually push them from Eorzea.

However, it soon became apparent that the legatus of the VIIth Legion, Nael van Darnus, could not be easily defeated. The Garleans' strength was impossible to defeat, both by military and adventurous means. Some people, those who possessed the mystical "Echo" granted by a mysterious, otherworldly benefactor, attempted to do what they could to stem the tide of the Garleans, but overall it was for naught. Eventually, Louisoix could see only one outcome that could save all of Eorzea. His plans were kept secret from everyone save the few in his deepest confidence, and one of the men was a seawolf paladin of Ul'dah.

Beatrix had known Blanhaerz as the selfsame Roegadyn who invited her to join the paladins in the first place, and the two had gained a healthy rapport with each other on their various missions together. With the death of the sultan and his wife, the precarious nature of Ul'dah's politics was difficult to handle, especially as a warrior and not a politician. It was why her friend decided to leave the Sultansworn, to abandon his oaths and journey to the Carteneau Flats in Mor Dhona, to enact one final push that could either save or end Eorzea's independence.

Beatrix was furious, not at Blanhaerz for leaving, but at herself for not having the conviction to follow him. "You can't leave, it's just not done! You made a vow to protect the Sultanate, to protect the sultana, and here you are, abandoning everything at the drop of a hat! Have you no honor?" Did he care nothing for the time they had spent together?

The Roegadyn finished his packing in the Sultansworn's headquarters and shouldered his pack. "Eorzea stands on the edge of a knife, Read. If it falls either way, every man shall fall into oblivion. Death at the hands of the Garleans, or at the hands of the summoned Primals. I cannot stand idly by and allow this to continue; if I did nothing, it would be like I allowed this death to happen."

Somehow, that enraged Beatrix further, and she hissed as he walked from the room. She followed the Roegadyn, intent on convincing him back to her side. "Then what of me? Do you find me so callous as to ignore the plight of the entire continent?"

"Of course not," the elder paladin said, turning to smile at the young woman. He looked her straight in the eye as he nodded. "Everyone has their place. I can only leave because I know you shall care for Lady Nanamo and Lady Eeko in my stead. You and I both have our parts to play, and I can do mine with a calm heart knowing you are doing yours."

Beatrix clutched at her heart, her brow furrowed, but before she could say another word, another man, a Hyur nearly a head shorter than her, approached the two of them with an amiable jaunt. He was a midlander, a Hyur from the plains, that much was plain to tell by his milky white skin. It was much different from Beatrix's beautifully olive skin and large musculature. In fact, the newcomer was so small that he would have looked incredibly unassuming, if not for the fact that he was carrying a giant axe his size and weight on his back. His tiny frame must have belied his incredible strength. "Are you ready?" he asked, looking up at Blanhaerz with a grim smile. "Louisoix is expecting us."

"Who is this boy?" Beatrix demanded, looking up at her friend. The two men glanced back at her, and she felt the distinct, sickening feeling of being *alone*. She was not a part of their circle of confidants, and she felt alienated, enough that her angry disposition slowly drained away, and she instead looked hurt and alone...

"Ah, Beatrix, I apologize. This is my friend, Arbert," the paladin gestured to his friend, who raised his hand in greeting. Beatrix couldn't even recall a time that Blanhaerz might have met... this boy, which just made him even more suspicious. She didn't like him at all, but the other Sultansworn didn't seem to register her anger. Either that or he was ignoring it. "We're just going out to finish this once and for all. When we return, the Garleans will be removed from our home. Wait for us; we shall be back shortly."

Beatrix wasn't quite sure she believed that whatever this "Louisoix" had plans for, it would be as simple as that... but she wanted to believe that he would return. She had to. "Know that the sultana will pray for your safe return." She might have mentioned herself as well, but she did not want to sound like a waifish child. She crossed her arms. "Just go."

"Please, pray for us," Arbert agreed. "Pray to the Twelve that we stop Dalamud's descent." Beatrix's spine tingled. The second moon, Dalamud, had spun in the sky for as long as recorded history had cared to know, but from what Nael van Darnus had mentioned, it seemed that the empire was planning to pull it straight from the sky, slamming it into Eorzea and destroying all life on the continent. "A fresh start" was what the legatus had called it, and *that* was when the Eorzean Alliance began drawing out all of their resources, preparing for their final attempt to push the Garleans from their soil...

Beatrix wasn't a particularly religious person. Her parents were from Ala Mhigo and worshiped Rhalgr, and she lived in Uldah, who worshiped the twins Nald and Thal. The young highlander had always wondered that if Rhalgr was so powerful and destructive, how come he couldn't just destroy the Garleans himself? Or what if Thal, the caretaker of the Underworld, could just write the names of the emperor and his progeny in his book of death? She figured that, at this point, prayers wouldn't do much, and yet... "I will think about it..."

Arbert smiled, nodding lightly before he turned to Blanhaerz. "Let's go," the adventurer said, and Beatrix steeled herself as she watched them turn and head towards the exit of the palace. The younger Sultansworn had nothing left to say. She was quiet as she watched her best friend leave to go to the front lines.

She never saw him again.

* * *

Beatrix was anxious. While she didn't know specifically that the war was coming to a head on the Carteneau Flats, she could see that Dalamud was so close to falling that pieces of it were breaking off after it entered the atmosphere. She held Eeko close to her as Nanamo watched with a trembling visage. "They said to pray, didn't they?" the sultana asked her retainer, and Beatrix nodded.

"Aye, that they did," she said, remembering Arbert's plea a few weeks ago. Back then things looked dire, but now... she could feel the very *planet* crying out in desperation. "The adventurer asked that we pray to the Twelve, pray that they save Eorzea." She didn't want to admit it, but when chunks of the moon started coming off of Dalamud, she sent word to her parents, asking them to head to the Milvaneth Sacrarium, in order to pray directly to Thal at the most sacred of his sites. It was funny how, at the end of the world, people became the most religious...

"I wish I could go to the Ossuary," Nanamo said as Eeko squirmed in Beatrix's grip. She placed the sultana's sister on her feet, and Eeko immediately rushed to hug her sister as they looked up at the flaming wreckage that threatened to destroy all of Eorzea, "...I could pray directly. Oh Twelve, by your hand, please save us from this fate..."

Beatrix had denied her that request, as the palace was the safest she could be at any moment, and yet... as she watched a miniature meteor streak towards the planet, she wondered if perhaps there was no place that was safe for them.

Everyone, royal and commoner, watched with baited breath as the moon slowly descended, and there was a unanimous cry as the ugly thing split apart like a hatching egg, and the people screamed in horror as something *emerged* from it.

Bahamut, the Elder Primal, was free, and he was enraged at the confinement he was forced to endure for millennia. It mattered not that the people of Eorzea were not the same as those who sealed him in the first place; the primal had gone mad with anger; he descended upon Eorzea, and the world was forever changed...

Beatrix's survival instincts kicked in, and she immediately scooped Eeko into the crook of her arm before taking the sultana's hand. "My lady, we must away! It is dangerous out here-" the Sultansworn's statement was cut off as the fearsome Bahamut, so huge that even from halfway across the continent, he was still visible, flapped his wings once...

The entire sky was alight with fire. The three froze in fear, their eyes widening at the sight. They could not look away; they could do nothing but watch as the beams of fire flew across the sky, and they set the entire continent ablaze as Bahamut danced in the sky, his roar so powerful it shook the very foundations of the planet.

Eorzea was doomed. Beatrix instinctively ducked when one of the balls of fire soared over the palace, so hot and intense that she could feel it from a dozen yalms away. Mor Dhona was all the way across the continent, and yet Bahamut's Mega Flare reached to the four corners of the continent. Ul'dah was not spared either, as the tendrils of fire soon made their way to the city, and Beatrix's heart stopped when she saw one of them strike near the Jeweled Row...

Beatrix found herself screaming even before the fireball crashed directly into Milvaneth Sacrarium. There was no doubt that her parents did not feel a thing, so instant was their death, and yet... "Mother! Father! *Why!?*" To take them to Thal's Halls so soon! Where was the justice in that? What were their prayers *for*!?

The Sultansworn felt Nanamo pulling on her legging, and she screamed even as she pulled herself away and threw the three of them into the sultana's bedroom. She clutched at the Lalafell women as they hugged her back, and together, the three of them cried and screamed and *prayed* that they would be spared. They heard the screaming, the fire, the destruction all around them, and Beatrix clung to Nanamo; the sultana and her sister were the people grounding her to reality. She had to protect them; that was all she needed!

And just as quickly as it began, it finished. The sky was filled suddenly with a blue light that pierced the red fire in the sky, and all three of the women looked up at once, blinking bleary, tear-filled eyes as the blue light filled the entire sky. Their prayers were answered. A miracle occurred as the piercing blue light shot into the sky and demolished Bahamut's Tetra Flare. Its strength was such that it pierced straight through the Elder Primal. Bahamut didn't even have the time nor the strength to let out a final roar before he exploded.

Beatrix stared as the fire continued to burn all around. Bahamut's death did not lessen the destruction of Ul'dah, which had not been spared the dragon's mighty breath. The Sultansworn hadn't realized she had fallen to her knees, not until her charges wrapped their tiny arms around her shoulders...

They would be needed soon, to help the repairs, to work towards rebuilding the city and to assess the damage of the entire desert... but at that point... there was nothing left but tears. They had failed. Their hope to stop Dalamud's fall. They had failed... and yet... that blue light, the miraculous Light that saved the survivors... Who else could have summoned such a light but a Warrior of Light sent by the Twelve...?

Beatrix wasn't sure whether to thank the Twelve for saving her beloved sultana, or curse them for taking those she loved from her so soon... she wasn't sure she would ever find an answer to that question.

* * *

But with every end marks a new beginning.

Because I know so little about 1.0 (I played one weekend of the *beta*, covered my face in my hands, cried a little, swore Final Fantasy was dead to me, and never played until 6 months into 2.0), I didn't want our characters to be around during that time. However, I wasn't going to abandon the original five Warriors of Light who were there at the Battle of Carteneau.

...Four of them just died in this world. Arbert, the poster-child for the game, is the only one to have survived and been sent to the future by Louisoix. The other four were killed, first Lamimi, the White Mage, then Blanhaerz, the Paladin, and finally Naillebert the Black Mage and J'rhoomale the Bard. Needless to say, Arbert mayyyy appear later on as the "official" Warrior of Light, and he miiiight be suffering from survivor's guilt.

This is an important part of Eorzean History, but I can't at all do the original cinematic any sort of justice, so I didn't push it too hard. I wanted to show it through the eyes of someone who wasn't there, as I feel that's not something that's done too terribly often, and just make it a short thing that hopefully people don't look too much into.

Zidane is next.


	5. Chapter 5

Zidane's story was one of my favorite to think up; it feels awkward and "Special Snowflake", in a sense, but Zidane was the main character and a Special Snowflake in his own story, so Imma give him a pass.

* * *

The seekers of the sun, the catlike Miqo'te that always found themselves wandering and on the move, had begun a mass migration towards Eorzea decades ago. There were just as many tribes of the sun seekers as there were words in the Eorzean alphabet, and many of the tribes took it as a sign that they were to make the continent their home. Still some Miqo'te, however, knew that the Garlean Empire had set its sights on the land, and they wished to be as far away from the reaches of the empire as they could muster. The seekers' J Tribe was one such tribe, one that fought so much among themselves about where to wander to that eventually they split off from each other, creating two tribes: One, the larger, retained its name of "J" and moved to live in Gyr Abania, while the other, lesser tribe took the name "Ji" and traveled far to the east, hoping to never see nor hear of the Garleans again. Neither tribe could escape the empire for long, of course, but neither could know that at the time.

Regardless, the Ji Tribe traveled for many moons before settling on the Azim Steppe with many xaela Au Ra, becoming as nomadic as the dragon tribesmen and traveling across the rocky grasslands. Miqo'te, as many knew, had the most curious ability to rarely pass on the chromosome that produced males, and thus much more than half of all the cat people were female. The Ji Tribe had taken one male, Ji'lan Nuhn, with them to the east , but they knew they could not survive if they did not produce a male heir. For many years, the breeding male Ji'lan mated with the many women of the tribe, and the entire tribe finally celebrated when one of the huntresses, Ji'aliana Erra, gave birth to twins, the eldest of which was a boy.

The Ji Tribe celebrated for an entire year, as now their tribe could survive, and it was with great happiness and pride that they named their firstborn son "Tan of the Ji Tribe, the non-breeding male". ...Thankfully, that was never a child's actual given name, as it was quite a mouthful. To anyone who was introduced, his given name was Ji'tan Tia, and he was immediately set above his sisters as the future of his tribe.

Ji'tan adapted to his lifestyle quickly. While his twin sister Ji'mikoto was taught to hunt like all good sisters of the tribe, Ji'tan was kept safe and secure, for his was a special body that should be protected above all others. It wasn't hard for the young boy to get used to such preferential treatment, and he soon learned he could get away with anything he wanted. This bred a flippant attitude, and the boy was always the first to go against his father's and aunts' orders and find himself sneaking out on personal adventures.

While his tribe was unhappy with his excursions, they could not reprimand him, for he had learned quickly how to get out of a scrape, and he was as quick to flee as he was to fight. It seemed he would be a perfect breeding male someday, but that day would only come when he defeated his father in combat to become a Nuhn instead of a Tia.

...That was the problem, however. Ji'tan cared little for his "non-breeding male" title, and made no secret to his flirting. Most of his "aunts" were smart and old enough to ignore him, and during the very few times that the Ji Tribe came into contact with a xaela tribe, the Auri women tended not to even give him the time of day. For a few years, it wasn't a problem, but one sudden day, one of Ji'tan's younger "aunties" became pregnant three months before her scheduled breeding time with the Nuhn. There was no one who could have possibly impregnated Ji'yuumal, as they hadn't met with any xaela for a year, and all eyes came upon the Tia. Ji'tan could not deny his involvement, nor could the Ji Tribe take his flippant attitude as a game. He was far from a full grown adult, but he was old enough to realize that he had broken the sun seekers' most dire of taboos, as well as understand the consequences of such an act.

Ji'lan was incensed at the Tia's insolence, but couldn't bring himself to actually harm his own flesh and blood. Instead, he decided to send his son away, as he should have done the moment Ji'tan started his nonsensical flirting. Ji'mikoto cried for days in her mother's arms as her twin brother, the young Tia, was sent away from the tribe. Like any other adult Tia who couldn't keep his hormones to himself, he wouldn't be able to be accepted into a seeker tribe until he could defeat a Nuhn and become a breeding male himself. Only by defeating his father would he finally be allowed to live with his family again.

Ji'tan wasn't so disappointed, as he was always the adventurous type. He figured he'd be back in a year or two, and being sent off meant he had a reason to go see and experience new things. Thus did he pack up and jog off happily to the south, towards the far eastern land of Doma. There he found all sorts of strange clothing, people and customs. Despite the Miqo'te people not understanding the language of the Domans, the young Tia seemed to understand every word that he heard and could respond appropriately, as if he was born with a gift of tongues. He had trouble explaining he had only gained the ability after having a particularly strange dream during the time that Dalamud fell from the sky, and eventually he would just shrug whenever people asked about it.

Along with his strange gift of tongues, Ji'tan was also very adaptable when it came to different cultures, and while he would never be Doman by blood, he was accepted among the people as a hard worker and endless flirt, and it was his natural charisma that caused him to make many friends. It was during one of his jobs collecting rainbow crystals for a buyer that he ran into what would become the closest of his friends: the prince of Doma, Hien. The two of them met during the Miqo'te's job, and they became close when they realized were both people who enjoyed a good adventure. It was the biggest reason that the prince was even outside of the castle; Ji'tan guffawed loudly when he heard that his new friend had snuck out on his own! The stories they told each other bred a friendship of mutual respect, and together, the two quickly became as thick as thieves.

Despite the Garlean's invasion and capture of Doma, Hien's father Kaien was allowed to remain on the throne as a puppet monarch, and so as Ji'tan snuck *into* Doma Castle to see his friend, he quickly learned about Garlean politics as well as Doman etiquette. It took several months before the ninja of the palace could even think to catch him as he shadowed the kunoichi of the castle, but once they did, instead of punishing the Miqo'te, they had a better idea for the naturally sneaky cat.

Taking the young man to a secret hideaway for the ninja of Doma, they explained their plan away from the prying eyes of the Garleans. Dalamud had fallen, turning the sky red and blue, but what interested the Domans the most was that after the moon's fall, the Garleans *left* Eorzea. The leader of the ninja, a raen Auri kunoichi by the name of Yugiri, told Ji'tan where he fit into all of it. "Whatever the Eorzeans did to push away the Garleans, we could stand to use it on our side." She looked up at Ji'tan, her expression as steel, "I cannot fathom how you learn the languages of other people so quickly, but if you can put it to good use for us, we would ask you to travel to Eorzea and learn the magics that can bring even the Garleans to their knees."

Ji'tan wasn't sure what to make of the request, as Eorzea really only had two moons, and there wouldn't be much left in the heavens after bringing them both to bear on the empire. However, his wanderlust had already kicked in, and there wasn't anything wrong with figuring out the secrets of Eorzea; it was a ninja's duty to learn all they could about their neighbors' secrets after all... Plus, how could he say "no" to such a sexy Au Ra? "I can't refuse such a cute face," the Miqo'te said with a wink, earning him a very cross look, "All I'll need is a boat, and we'll find out what those Eorzeans are doing to the heavens. I'll have all charges dropped against me too, right?"

"That sounds like a fair enough trade," Yugiri agreed, completely omitting the fact that thanks to Lord Hien's words, they already had been dropped. They needed leverage over him and what the boy didn't know wouldn't hurt him.

"And afterward can I get some payment?" Ji'tan pressed, his tail flicking as he thought of a few thousand gil he could use to coast on for a year or two.

"...That is much more difficult, as technically everything we own belongs to the empire, but I'm sure that *I* could arrange something out of pocket..."

Well hell, why not go three for three? "And a few prostitutes? You know, the ones in those really long obis that I can pull off and twirl the girls with?"

Yugiri's face was stony. "Don't push your luck, cat boy."

Well, it was worth a try.

* * *

Under the cover of darkness and through the guile of the shadowy Doman ninjas, Ji'tan was whisked away to Kugane, a small island nation off the coast of Doma, whose protective winds kept even the Garleans at bay, and it remained neutral through all dealings. This meant that it wasn't too hard to secure a ship to Eorzea, as even Kugane dealt with the odd Eorzean or two; it wouldn't be strange to have a merchant ship sailing away with a Miq'ote on board, whether or not he was a spy.

Ji'tan easily fell in with the Eorzean merchants, who found his natural charm, as well as his natural gift of tongues, useful and intriguing, respectively. He had never been on a boat before, but he took to sailing like a duck to water, and soon was clambering all over the ship, raising sails and tying rigging as if he had been born on the high seas. It was hard to tell if it was the natural dexterity of his Miq'ote blood, or if he was so excited to see a new world that he worked especially hard to perform well.

Whatever the reason, the few weeks on the high seas were smooth sailing, so to speak, on their way to the port city of Limsa Lominsa. Now that the Garleans had pulled back, there was no worry about there being a blockade, but there was one other thing to worry about...

When the small merchant ship was accosted and boarded by pirates, Ji'tan was certain he would die before he even set foot on Eorzean soil. Apparently the merchants had assumed that the privateers of Limsa Lominsa would protect them, but for whatever reason, the fleet was nowhere to be seen. Ji'tan wanted to fight back, and he might have done so slightly well; however, most of his skills were best used under cover of darkness, and without the element of surprise, as well as being stuck in such a small area... The Miq'ote was shoved to the wooden boards and bound before he could even draw his daggers.

He shut his eyes and thrashed his tail as he heard the pirates subsequently slit the throats of every other member of the merchant ship, and he tried not to think of the people whom he had come to care for as friends being tossed from the ship to "feed the sahaguin". When he got out of this, *if* he got out of this, he would repay their deaths with blood.

The cat was dragged before the captain as the pirates counted up the spoils: beautiful Doman silks and pearls from off the coast of Kugane. "We also found a good slave!" one of the pirates proclaimed, dragging the limp Ji'tan forward. The Miq'ote hissed ferally, a sound that only the cat people could replicate properly, and the captain grasped at Ji'tan's chin to inspect his face.

The moment the Hyur got a good look at Ji'tan's features, he let out a roar and tossed the Miq'ote to the ground. "You idiots!" he shouted, kicking at the prone form and backhanding a subordinate across the temple, "Didn't ye bother to check? We can't sell *male* cats! No one buys 'em on the market!" Ji'tan snarled under his breath; he was saved because they thought he was a *woman*!? The kami were certainly laughing now, even as they prepared to kill him, "Toss 'im overboard. 'e'll be chum like the others."

"Aye!" the pirates saluted, and everyone set to the task of righting their previous wrong. Ji'tan went limp in their grasp, and he heard one of them draw his knife... Ah... He missed Mikoto and Yuumal. ...He supposed his only regret was that he couldn't apologize to them for leaving them like this...

"Captain!" a pirate shouted from the crow's nest, and everyone looked up at the man who pointed into the distance, "There's a flag off the port bow!"

"Didn't ye spot it before!?" the captain shouted as the pirates dropped the still bound Miq'ote and rushed off to prepare to fight. "What flag is it? Can ye see!?"

Ji'tan was as silent as a wraith as he shimmied his hands down and under his legs... "Aye, Captain! It's the _Dragon_!"

The captain cursed colorfully and kicked Ji'tan as he walked by; the Miq'ote thanked the kami that the pirate didn't notice his hands were now bound in front of him. "Battle stations, everyone! We can't let the Admiral's dogs get our quarry!"

The pirates roared a battle cry in response, their fervor so great that they didn't notice that Ji'tan had cut his bonds on the dropped dagger, and soon the cat was free...

...

By the time the _Dragon_ arrived in time to board the pirate vessel, every single pirate had been slain, with very little actual struggle. The Auri man hung on the rigging and stared in bemusement as a lone, tiny, *very angry* cat boy raised twin daggers and hissed. "If you're here to loot, take what you want. If you're here to kill, then you'll find me *very* difficult prey to nail down!"

The captain of the _Dragon_ stared at the boy, dressed in the outfit of an Eorzean merchant, and he burst into raukus laughter. "Shite, boy, if all merchants could assassinate an entire crew of pirates, I'd sooner join one of your ships!"

The crew drew Ji'tan onto deck as they assessed the damage. As each told their stories, it seemed like these people weren't so much pirates as they were privateers under Admiral Bloefhiswyn, sent to root out pirates who continued to engage in the more unsavory aspects of piracy. "With an empire to fight, us Lominsans quickly learned there are better things to pirate!" The giant sea wolf Roegadyn captain, Barakhan, laughed out loud at the idea, and Ji'tan's tail flicked when he watched them carry off the goods that his friends were hoping to sell. "Don't worry, boy, we'll deliver them to the admiral and she'll find the company they were destined for. Sswhat we do, after all."

The large Au Ra (Xaelan, Ji'tan could tell, despite the man wearing enough clothing to try to hide his lineage) nodded as he approached to Barakhan's side. "You needn't worry; we'll make sure everything goes to the right place." He looked Ji'tan up an down, which set the Miq'ote's hair on end. "Not that I think these are yours. Your skill with a blade suggests you weren't here because you were selling these things."

Ji'tan should have figured that hiding his identity wasn't going to be that easy anymore, and he shrugged, "I'm from far to the east, and when I heard the Garleans were pushed out of Eorzea, I figured it would be a good place to visit, if you catch my drift."

The privateers glanced at each other, and Barakhan let out a laugh as the Au Ra coughed, "A refugee, huh?" he said more than asked, and when the two locked eyes, Ji'tan could feel that he had met what would have been a kindred spirit, if he were actually telling the truth about wanting a fresh start. "Well, you're among friendly company here at least. My name's Blank."

"Ji'tan," the cat man replied, reaching out to shake Blank's hand the way he was taught by the now deceased Eorzean merchants, "I don't suppose you have some sort of food? I haven't eaten since early morning."

Barakhan nearly sent Ji'tan tumbling to the floor as he slammed his huge hand on the small Miq'ote's back, and he gestured towards the galley, "Let's get some food in your belly, Zidane!"

The Miq'ote made a face as he followed the Roegadyn under deck, "But my name's Ji'tan..."

"Get used to it," Blank replied as he walked alongside the boy, "My name's actually Nergüi. Barakhan just can't pronounce anyone's name but his own, so he just comes up with his own nicknames." Ji'tan noted that "Nergüi" could be translated to "Blank" in Eorzean. ...Aha... "I suppose Zidane is a close as he's going to get to pronouncing your name. Flows off the tongue, too. Could have had a worse nickname, to be quite frank." Ji'tan pursed his lips as both he and Blank glanced pointedly at each other...

Barakhan burst out in laughter at something Cinna (apparently named for the cinnamon smell he always gave off as the ship's cook) had said, and "Zidane" let out a frustrated, if not good-natured, sigh.

...Perhaps finding some contacts in Eorzea wouldn't be so hard after all...

* * *

Few things here; first off there are, of course, no Miq'ote on the steppes in FF14 obviously, but eh, I can totally see a small, migratory tribe settling on the plains and avoiding most of the Xaela during their murder fests. Plus, just because they exist now doesn't mean they will when the Warriors of Light arrive during Stormblood.

*Foreshadowing*!

Second, I had tons of fun with FF14's Tantalus. There is already a Tantalus in 14, and they aren't Lominsan pirates, so these jerks are different. They're on the _Dragon_ because Baku wore that dragon mask at the beginning of the game, and I guess they're named something appropriately draconic, like "Bahamut's Brawlers" or somecrap.

But the biggest thing I had fun with were the names. I was looking up various Mongolian names for a different Au Ra character that would be appearing soon maybe, and Nergüi came up. It was a name given to children whose elder siblings were killed and essentially means "Nobody" to throw off the spirits so they wouldn't murder the child in question. What can Nobody also be? A *Blank*! Perfect.

Barakhan is a Roegadyn like Amarant, and his name means "Naked Laugh". Baku does like to laugh a lot, so it seemed like a perfect name for him. Plus the idea that "Bara" means "Naked" is hilarious to me because I am a child. The assumption here is that Zidane gets back at Barakhan for the nickname by calling him "Noisy Eater", AKA "Bakubaku". Eh? EHHHH?

PS Ji'lan comes from "GarLANd", Zidane's father, and so Ji'tan is "Tan, son of Lan". BAM It's like this stuff writes itself. ...All of the other Miq'ote names were just slapdashed together, but I will admit that I went through like seven revisions before I finally came up with Zidane's mother and lover's names without them sounding similar/common human names.


End file.
